House Quad Committee (Quad Comm) lead chair, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said the mega-panel is set to release retired Police Lieutenant Colonel Royina Garma from detention after panel members found her testimonies and cooperation satisfactory.
He explained that all the panel needs to do now is lift the contempt order issued against her last September 12, and she will be free to go for the meantime.
Garma, in her affidavits submitted to and testimonies before the Quad Comm, detailed the controversial cash reward system allegedly implemented as a central part of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.
Barbers said “the contempt order [on Garma] lasts until the committee terminates its hearings and submits its committee report to the plenary for its approval, but we can lift it anytime.”
“We feel that majority of the members that we can already lift it because of certain conditions which would include either full cooperation, or [because] we are able to exhaust all questions to her and able to get the information we need for us to complete our committee report,” Barbers added.
Garma, a former Cebu city police chief, earlier disclosed that the bounty for each drug suspect killed ranges from P20,000 to P1 million per kill.
Barbers said Garma’s testimonies will be of great help for the Quad Comm to pursue the recommendation of filing appropriate charges against personalities involved in the bloody drug war of the past administration, including Garma.
“She will be of help, and she seems sincere in her words. Otherwise, she cannot evade accountability, the justice department is already looking into this,” Barbers said.
“Once the QuadComm is done with the committee report, we will definitely recommend the appropriate cases to be filed against them, including Garma, [retired police colonel Edilberto] Leonardo, and the others. That is what we are preparing for,” Barbers added.
Meanwhile, other Quad Comm members said that they are convinced that the Duterte administration financially rewarded police officers for executing drug suspects and other supposed criminals.
Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., who leads the Committee on Human Rights, said they learned about the secret and illegal bounty system thanks to Garma’s two affidavits, which was later corroborated by erstwhile National Police Commission commissioner and retired police Colonel Edilberto Leonardo.
“The implication is that we established the truth about the reward system… that it really happened. The previous administration can no longer deny that,” he pointed out.
As this developed, the Quad Comm’s scheduled hearing on Thursday was cancelled to allow members of the House of Representatives to focus their efforts on providing relief and assistance to their respective districts in the aftermath of severe tropical storm ‘Kristine.’
Barbers expressed deep concern for the Filipinos affected by the recent typhoon, calling for solidarity and swift action to support those in need.
“Our primary focus right now is to assist our constituents who have been severely impacted by Typhoon Kristine. Many of our fellow Filipinos are dealing with devastating loss and damage to their homes, livelihoods, and communities,” he said.
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